Apoptosis is a morphologically distinct form of programmed cell death (PCD) that plays important roles in development, and tissue homeostasis. Abnormalities in the regulation of apoptosis contribute to a wide variety of diseases, including cancer, AIDS, stroke, myopathies and neurodegenerative disorders. It is not clear that apoptosis occurs by activating an intrinsic cell suicide program which is constitutively expressed in most animal cells, and that key components of this program have been conserved in evolution from worms to insects to man. Some of the genes regulating PCD are oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes, providing a link between deregulation of PCD and cancer. Others are encoded by viruses, indicating that subversion of PCD is an aspect of the pathology of viral infections. In recent years, many gene products controlling PCD have been identified, and the biochemical pathways they regulate have begun to emerge. Animal models have been generated in both mammals and invertebrates in which loss-of-function or gain-of-function of these genes has demonstrated the role PCD lays in development and disease. These studies suggest that there are many opportunities for manipulating apoptosis in therapeutically meaningful ways. Researchers in the field of PCD are a diverse group whose interest span invertebrate to mammalian developmental biology, neurobiology, oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes, immunology and inflammation, virology, biochemistry, structural biology, cell cycle control, and transcription. The objective of this PCD conference is to bring together researchers working in these diverse aspects of apoptosis. The meeting plan includes an opening address, eight plenary and three poster sessions, in which participation by junior scientists will be encouraged. The ultimate intention is to create a meeting environment suitable for the exchange of information and ideas which will hopefully foster advancement of the field toward the identification of the biochemical and molecular events controlling apoptosis. The subsequent meetings (2003 and 2005) will follow a similar format and will include topics that are highly relevant at the time of the meeting.